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Heaviest stellar black hole discovered in nearby galaxy

10-17-2007 · EurekAlert!

Astronomers have located an exceptionally massive black hole in orbit around a huge companion star. By combining data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Gemini telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, M33 X-7 was determined to be the most massive stellar black hole known. This result has intriguing implications for the evolution and ultimate fate of massive stars.

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Keywords: heaviest, stellar, black, hole, discovered, galaxy

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